Makes Me Think

I received a letter today that deserves quotation:

"His parables involve characters facing a moral obligation 'suggesting' how the characters ought to behave based on what they believe. What is fascinating about the stories of Jesus is that many of them are open-ended and he leaves his listeners with a question.

"'What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep . . . .'

"'What do you think? There was a man who had two sons . . . .'

"'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor?'"

"We are drawn into the stories of Jesus in two ways. The scenarios Jesus constructs are real-life situations that transcend space and time because of their moral and relational components. The second way Jesus captures our attention is by posing a specific question and leaving the decision with us. We enter the story and see ourselves as one of the characters. Then, instead of instructing us on what to do, we are left with a decision on what we know ought to be done by the structure of the story and through our consciences.

"When I consider the teaching methods we use today, I find it very strange that somehow we have overlooked the method of teaching used by Jesus."

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My note: So do I. If we want to follow Him, maybe we should rethink our approaches. Maybe we should ask more questions.

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P.S. The letter was Pete Bocchino's Christmas 2008 ministry letter.